Display stand



April 1943- H. HARRISON 2,315,617

DISPLAY STAND Filed Sep t. 9, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l HENRY Hmemson H. HARRISON DISPLAY STAND Ap s, 1943.

Filed Sept. 9, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w ww v NZ k m ww U Z 5 7 HOM m H E Hf Patented Apr. 6, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

- the article in a most attractive and efiective'manner a display unit having an upstanding back-piece which may be designed or ornamented as desired to provide an attractive back-ground for the article displayed, this back-piece being integral with the article-receiving base of the unit and being connected to said base in such manner that the weight of the article resting upon the base of the unit serves not only to retain the back-piece in its more or less upright position, but also to retain the unit in its expanded shape.

Further objects are to provide a display unit of the character aforesaid which is inexpensive to manufacture, which affords means for the prominent display not only of the article which is placed therein but of advertising matter appearing on the unit itself, which is adapted to be easily set up into expanded form or collapsed into a substantially flat unit, and which may be employed, when desired, as an easel for the display of an advertising placard.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter, it being understood that theinvention consists substantially in the combination, construction, location and relative arrangement of parts, all as described in detail hereinafter, as shown in the accompanying drawings and as finally pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, which illustrate a preferred form of the unit constructed in accordance with and embodying the principles of the present invention, Figure 1 is a'plan view of the blank of which the unit is formed;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the unit collapsed and folded into flat form;

Figure 3 is an edge view of the folded unit;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the unit expanded into form for receiving and displaying an article of merchandise; and

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, it will be observed that the display unit of A further object of the invention is to produce the present invention is formed of a single blank of cardboard or other such relatively stiff material cut-out and scored as shown in Figure 1, wherein said blank is designated by the reference numeral Ill. It will be understood, of course, that the perimetral shape of this blank Ill may be varied as desired to provide different ornamental effects in the display unit. In every case, however, the blank I0 is scored along the parallel lines Ii, I2, I3, I4 and I5 to provide a plurality of sections I6, I'I, I8, I9, 20 andZI, which are adapted to be angularly related with respect to one another to form the expanded display unit shown in Figures 4 and 5.

It will be noted at this point that the intermediate section ll of the blank I0 is interiorly cut-out along the lines designated by the reference numeral 22 to provide a central part 23. This central cut-out part 23 is provided with an extension 24 at the lower end thereof which is cut-out of the panel section I3 along the lines designated by the reference numeral 25. It will be noted that the score line I2 extends inwardly from opposite side edges of the blank to the parallel cuts 25 which form the side edges of thetab extension 24 ofthe central cut-out part 23. Thus, the part 23 and its extension 24 form a rigid piece disposed in 'a common plane, which piece is adapted to be bent out of the plane of the panel section IB by reason of the fact that this central cut-out piece 23 is in effect hinged to the panel section I8 by the portions I2 I2 of the score line I2.

As most clearly appears in Figure 1, the upper edge 26 of the cut-out central part 23 parallels the score line I I, while the bottom edge 21 of the lower extension 24 parallels the score line I3 and particularlythe score line I4. Also, it will be observed that the distance between the parallel top and bottom edges 26 and 21 of the hinged central part 23 substantially equals the depth of the panel 2!] as measured between the scored lines I4 and Ill. The reasons for this will'be immediately apparent.

The panel section 20 constitutes the base of the unit, while'the panel I6 forms an ornamental back for the unit. As appears most clearly in Figures 2 and 3, having cut out the blank as shown in Figure 1, all that is necessary to complete the unit is to initially fold the same along the score line I4 so that the panel sections 20 and 2| underlie the panel sections I5, I'I, I8 and IS. The free marginal edge of the panel 2I is then secured to that part of the panel I5 which it overlies, this securement being effected by glueing or otherwise permanently securing together the overlapping parts of the panel sections 2| and Hi. There is thus provided a folded substantially flat unit such as is shown in Figure 3. The panels 2! and I6 when so secured together constitute in effect a single panel which extends, in Figure 2, from the score line l upwardly to the free edge of the panel section l6.

To expand the unit into the shape shown in Figures 4 and 5, one merely rotates the back part of the unit formed by the joined sections 2!! and I6, about the score line l5 so as to present said back part into position extending substantially perpendicularly to the base part of the unit. Simultaneously, the panel sections l9 and I8 are folded along the score line I 3 into the acute angle relation shown in Figures 4 and 5, in consequence of which the intermediate panel section I! is disposed in an inclined plane reaching from the elevated score line II forwardly and downwardly to the score line l2. At the same time, the central cut-out part 23 is rotated out of the plane of the inclined panel section I! about its hinged parts I2 -l2 into a position overlying the base 2!] of the unit. In this position of the cut-out part 23, its rear edge 26 abuts the rear panel of the unit along the score line l5, while the forward edge of said struck-out part 23 engages the front panel I9 of the unit "along the score line M. It will thus be apparent that so long as the part 23 is maintained in overlying, fiat-wise contact with the base 20 of the unit, the unit is maintained in its expanded form as shown in Figures 4 and 5, this being due to the fact that the said central cut-out part 23 of the unit, while maintained flat-wise against the base 20, holds the lower edge of the panel section I! in contact with the base at a point spaced well forwardly of the back of the unit. Obviously, so long as the panel section I 7 is so maintained in place, it holds the back in more or less perpendicular position with respect to the base of the unit.

As shown quite clearly in the drawings, the central cut-out part 23 is provided at its free extremity thereof with an enlarged circular portion, which portion is, of course, cut-out of the intermediate panel section I 1. Thus, the latter is provided with a circular opening 28 (see Figure 4) through which may be inserted an article of merchandise, such as the can 29 shown dotted in Figure 4. The weight of this can resting upon the member 23 maintains the latter in contact with the base 20, in consequence of which the unit as a whole is maintained in the expanded shape shown in Figures 4 and 5. It will be apparent, of course, that the shape of the opening 28 may be varied as desired to accommodate differently shaped articles of merchandise. Thus, instead of being circular it may be square, rectangular, oval or even triangular in shape, the important consideration being that the overall length of the cut-out part 23, including its extension 24, is equal to the depth of the panel section 20.

The angularly related panels l8 and I 9 extending across the base of the unit at the front edge thereof provide an ideal support for the lower edge of a placard, the back of which may rest against the article normally displayed in the unit. Such a placard, which is represented by the dotted lines 30 in Figure 5, may be employed either in conjunction with the display unit to advertise the article placed in the unit, in which event the placard may be suitably cut-out to present the article to view, or it may be employed in such manner as to conceal not only the article positioned in the unit, but also the back of the unit itself. In this latter event, the display unit serves simply as an easel for the display of a placard.

It will be understood, of course, that the inventicn is susceptible of variouschanges in design and construction without departing from the real spirit or general principles thereof, and it is accordingly intended to claim the invention broadly, as well as specifically, as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

l. A display unit of the character described formed of a single blank of material comprising a base member, front and back wall members extending upwardly from the front and rear edges of the base member, and an intermediate member extending between and joining together said front and back wall members, said intermediate member having a struck-out which is adapted to be swung out of the plane of said intermediate member into fiatwise engagement with the base member, said struck-out part being of an overall length substantially equal to the depth of the base member, whereby opposite ends of the struck-out part respectively abut the said front and rear walls.

2. A display unit of the character defined in claim 1 wherein said part struck out of the intermediate member provides in the latter member a central aperture through which may be projected an article of merchandise to be displayed, said article being adapted to be seated upon said struck-out part to maintain the latter in said flatwise engagement with the base member of the unit.

3. A display unit of the character described consisting of a single blank of material cut out and scored to form a plurality of sections adapted to be angularly related when the unit is expanded into shape to provide a horizontally disposed base part and front and rear walls projecting upwardly from the front and rear edges of said base part, and key means for maintaining said base part and front and rear walls in fixed relative position, said means being in the form of a part struck out of a section extending between said walls and adapted to be swung out of the plane of said last-mentioned section and into flatwise engagement with the upper surface of said base part.

4. A display unit of the character defined in claim 3 wherein said struck-out part is of a length substantially equal to the distance between said front and rear walls of the unit whereby when said part is in flatwise engagement with the base of the unit the said Walls serve to conline said part against movement relatively to said base.

HENRY HARRISON. 

